Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World

Freak. An illegal Awakened group.

 

Freak began as a small neighborhood gang but rapidly grew after meeting its leader. Like many villains in novels, Freak’s leader had an undeniable charisma that drew people in.

 

「 Standing among the dead, Cha Jaeha asked him.

 

“Why?”

 

The man had brown hair and a gentle smile. The man, estimated to be in his 30s, was wearing an angular suit and looked neat even amidst the terrible chaos.

 

“Tell me why you’re doing this with that ability.”

 

Grit. The man, who had been watching with a gentle smile as blood seeped from Cha Jaeha’s lip, opened his mouth.

 

“Young men are often unwise. I’ve been through that phase myself, so I understand it well. I also understand why you’re angry. To you, these deaths must seem like futile sacrifices.”

 

What kind of maniac believed they were right and didn’t doubt that belief?

 

‘Power is noble. If you feel pity and anger because others fail to recognize its nobility, then I apologize. For your foolishness.’

 

The man stepped away from the fallen pillar. He landed lightly on the ground like a feather. Dusting off his shoes, he continued speaking.

 

“Sometimes, small sacrifices are necessary to embrace great power. These deaths are for a better future.”

 

He slightly raised his head. His green eyes were visible between his gently curved eyes.

 

“Yes, you could call it a noble sacrifice exchanged for noble power. Though, you don’t seem to think so.”

 

Jaeha’s face twisted in a way that had never seen before as he confronted the maniac.」

 

…This gentlemanly maniac leader appeared quite late in the story.

 

The main reason was that Freak didn’t cause major incidents from the beginning.

 

Usually, the biggest villain appeared later.

 

So, at this point, there shouldn’t be any event for Cha Jaeha to be furious about and claim, ‘It’s Freak’.

 

There shouldn’t have been.

 

But if.

 

If such a thing happened. It was clearly because the past had changed.

 

Someone who should have died survived, and although Cha Jaeha’s awakening timing was right, the trigger had subtly altered.

 

Mueum’s hand, holding the phone, trembled.

 

“It’s Freak.”

 

“Freak?”

 

“…Those neighborhood thugs.”

 

“Yeah, I know those thugs. But what happened…”

 

Yoo Jian’s eyes turned back and forth a few times as she looked at the phone handed out to her, then fell silent. Her eyes flashed sharply as she snatched the phone screen. Hwashin also leaned in close beside her to see what had happened.

 

[ “Just a sixth grader,” Patients attacked by the illegal awakeners’ group Freak during transport… ]

 

[ Burning ambulance, blazing hearts of parents. Who is Freak, the illegal awakeners’ group? ]

 

[ The gate closed, but Freak invaded, two patients dead during transport. Five in critical condition ]

 

The articles kept coming.

 

The articles Yoo Jian opened basically stated that after an S-rank gate was closed, Freak attacked patients on their way back to the hospital.

 

Among them, one young student and one adult died. A photo of the parents crying while holding their dead child was starkly displayed in the article.

 

“Where is this?”

 

Yoo Jian jumped up. As she stomped toward the door, Mueum grabbed her wrist.

 

Mueum shook his head.

 

“The situation is already over. …We didn’t get an alarm because it wasn’t a gate. And they couldn’t stop it immediately because they were awakeners.”

 

Mueum’s expression was not good either as he tried to hold back tears. He spoke with dry lips.

 

“There’s nothing we can do now, noona.”

 

“…What about other heroes?”

 

“The ones who could fight were either dispatched or found out through the articles like us. Damn it. We should have known these bastards would do this and stopped them earlier.”

 

Like Mueum said, these guys were indeed capable of doing this.

 

‘But this didn’t happen in the novel.’

 

Hwashin hooked his finger under his chin.

 

Indeed, as the flow changed, Freak’s actions changed as well.

 

Then from now on, he’d have to consider everything that might happen much later. Because he didn’t know how things might get tangled up.

 

“Damn it.”

 

Yoo Jian cursed quietly and collapsed into her seat. Mueum silently stayed by her side as she buried her face between her knees.

 

But judging by his expression, he seemed to be boiling inside.

 

Hwashin looked at them and then took out his phone from his pocket. It was vibrating, and the name on the screen was familiar.

 

“Hello.”

 

– This is Ha Cheongwon from the Management Department. May I speak to you for a moment, Mr. Hwashin?

 

Hwashin glanced at Mueum and Jian before speaking.

 

“If it can stop the friends in front of me from being angry.”

 

Ha Cheongwon seemed to quickly grasp the situation from Hwashin’s words. Skipping the small talk, he got straight to the point.

 

– …You must have seen the article. It’s related to that. Can you come to the second meeting room at the main Association building?

 

***

 

The second meeting room featured a long table in the center that could easily seat ten people, with black chairs densely lining both sides. As Hwashin opened the door, he saw Ha Cheongwon at the podium, preparing to speak.

 

Naturally, Cha Jaeha was already seated at the front, arms crossed, his expression almost demonic, much like Yoo Jian’s earlier. If the monsters from his original world had looked like that, he wouldn’t have dared to mess with them.

 

Hwashin shivered and took a seat next to Cha Jaeha. Across from them, Mueum and Jian sat down.

 

“First.”

 

Ha Cheongwon, standing at the podium, came down briefly to the floor and bowed. It was a respectful 90-degree bow.

 

“As a family member of a patient at the hospital where the gate opened, I want to express my gratitude. Thanks to you, my sibling and many others were saved.”

 

Ha Cheongwon swallowed hard and continued.

 

“At the same time, as an employee of the Management Department, I must also apologize. I’m sorry. The failure to predict this incident is solely due to our department’s negligence in monitoring and managing Freak.”

 

As Ha Cheongwon straightened up again, dark circles were visible under his eyes. He probably hadn’t slept properly while dealing with various issues after the gate incident and then this latest event.

 

“From now on, we will also closely monitor Freak within our Management Department. Most likely, Freak-related incidents occurring domestically will be handled by Unit 1.”

 

When he pressed the remote control button in his hand, the meeting room slowly darkened. A screen came down from above. A map appeared on the white background illuminated by the beam projector.

 

“The date is one week from now, and the location is an old building in Mapo-gu. We plan to investigate further details in the future.”

 

“What’s happening in a week?”

 

Cha Jaeha, who had been quietly watching the screen, spoke up.

 

“…It’s Freak’s secret meeting.”

 

A secret meeting? Hwashin’s eyebrows twitched for the first time.

 

‘A scene like that…’

 

Didn’t exist. A secret meeting was an event that never appeared even in the novel.

 

If the distortion was more significant than just a minor ‘crack’, restoring it would be impossible.

 

‘The butterfly seems to have flown farther than I thought.’

 

The magnitude of the approaching butterfly effect was quite large.

 

***

 

Ha Cheongwon’s vision of the future was straightforward. Suddenly, amidst static interference, the exterior of an old building appeared, and inside, there was a gathering of young men and women.

 

At first, he couldn’t understand what he was seeing.

 

Soon after, the people huddled in the basement cheered as a man appeared.

 

A man in a black suit wearing a white mask. The moment he appeared, with soft brown hair above the mask, the crowd chanted ‘Freak’.

 

The man standing in the center of the gathering slowly raised his hand to his mask. As the white mask came down below his eyebrows, revealing his face, the vision abruptly ended.

 

That was how Ha Cheongwon returned to the present.

 

“We plan to send two members of Unit 1 to this secret meeting. We’d like to send all four of you, but we need to leave some backup personnel just in case. We haven’t decided who will go yet, but I thought I should tell you all first before it’s decided. I’ll give you more detailed schedules later.”

 

As the screen retracted, the lights in the meeting room turned on.

 

Cha Jaeha, who had been listening quietly, still looked displeased.

 

Before long, Cha Jaeha stood up silently, and Yoo Jian and Mueum also left the room.

 

“…Aren’t you leaving, Mr. Hwashin?” 

 

Ha Cheongwon, who no longer used terms like ‘you’ or ‘that guy’, asked Hwashin. Somehow, his gaze seemed to have softened a bit.

 

“I have some questions.”

 

“Sure, you may ask anything.”

 

“Are you still with the Management Department?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I thought you’d join our division since you rose to S-rank.”

 

Hwashin shrugged. Ha Cheongwon spoke while putting documents back into a file folder on the table.

 

“…Well. I’m not sure yet. I did get a call from San Ihyeong once. She said there’s a position in Unit 2 where I could use my abilities.”

 

“Ah, I see.”

 

Not yet, then. So he wasn’t immediately joining Unit 2.

 

If possible, he hoped Ha Cheongwon could also participate in this secret meeting.

 

“Do you think it would be good for me to join Unit 2, Mr. Hwashin?”

 

Huh? Ha Cheongwon was seeking his opinion? Had they made progress in their relationship? Hwashin felt a bit pleased since Ha Cheongwon was the person he had grown closest to after Unit 1.

 

“Yes. It’d be nice to have you in the same division.”

 

If Ha Cheongwon joined Unit 2, he and Cha Jaeha would frequently clash during missions in the future. Watching them argue would be quite entertaining. Such scenes were best enjoyed up close.

 

Unaware of Hwaseon’s thoughts, Ha Cheong-won took a deep breath and spoke.

 

“Um…”

 

“Hm?”

 

“…Ahem.”

 

Ha Cheongwon’s voice wavered slightly. His fist trembled above his lips, and his eyelids fluttered behind his glasses.

 

“Mr. Ha Cheongwon, are you perhaps confessing to me—”

 

Hwashin teasingly formed an ‘X’ over his chest and leaned back.

 

“It’s not like that!”

 

“Hahaha.”

 

Yes, this was how Ha Cheongwon should react—getting flustered and defensive. Blushing and getting nervous in front of others was not like him.

 

After a sigh, Ha Cheongwon brushed back his disheveled hair and looked directly at Hwashin.

 

“…Yoojin is safe. My little sister was at home thanks to your treatment..”

 

The hospital where Ha Cheongwon’s sister originally stayed—the ambulance that returned patients to the hospitals from there was attacked. It could have been his sister in the news.

 

“I plan to give all my strength to catch and punish Freak for the sake of those who died. …Still.”

 

He bowed his head once more.

 

“I wanted to say this to you one more time.”

 

“…”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Though his face was hidden, his voice was clearly choked with emotion.

 

Hwashin saved Ha Yoojin purely out of whim and possibility.

 

So he had no reason to receive such gratitude.

 

“Alright.”

 

Hwashin smiled lightly, as usual, and rose from his seat. Ha Cheongwon lifted his gaze to follow him.

 

“Are you leaving?”

 

“Yes. See you later.”

 

As Hwashin left the hallway, Pii stuck its head out of his pocket.

 

– You left because you were embarrassed, right? To think I’d see Elric being thanked by someone. I’ve lived a long life.

 

You’re dead now, aren’t you? When will this hallucination end?

 

– Come on, admit it. You left because you were embarrassed, right?

 

Dragon’s persistent questioning echoed in his ears.

 

Well, Dragon wasn’t entirely wrong.

 

“I just didn’t expect such a heartfelt thank you. And I don’t really deserve it.”

 

Grumbling, Hwashin opened the Association’s front door and stepped outside.